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Prevalence of Imprisonment in the U.S. Population, 1974-2001

Thomas P. Bonczar, Bureau of Justice Statistics

August 17, 2003 NCJ 197976

Presents estimates of the number of living persons in the United States who have ever been to State or Federal prison. Such estimates include persons in prison and on parole, as well as those previously incarcerated but no longer under parole supervision. The report also provides updated estimates of the lifetime chances of going to prison using standard demographic life table techniques. Such techniques project the likelihood of incarceration for persons born in 2001, assuming current incarceration rates continue until their death. Each of the measures is estimated by age, gender, race, and Hispanic origin.